


Pursuit

by TelepathJeneral



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22409164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TelepathJeneral/pseuds/TelepathJeneral
Kudos: 4





	Pursuit

Bardolph was not surprised by the situation in which he found himself. Administrating an academic sphere was a never-ending task, requiring every level of intellectual commitment in order to succeed. It required, too, at times, a certain delicacy, given the youth of his charges, and at the end of the day Bardolph knew he would not be capable of doing it all himself. He simply had to enforce the consequences. So for the boys--young men, really, still gangly and spotty-faced--in front of him, there was  _ something _ terrible coming. 

“On Academy grounds? In full view of the campus, no less, near a doorway with  _ visitors _ ? A fight is one thing, but the utter foolishness on display is simply shameful.”

“He started it!” The taller one, a sickly-looking potential cartographer, jabbed a finger in recrimination toward his fellow miscreant. “He  _ jumped _ me!”

The shorter boy, and he really did still seem a boy in Bardolph’s eyes, shrugged defiantly. Bardolph had had his run-ins with this one before: a Mid Rim student, dragged across the galaxy based on Republic scores. Neither of them liked the other, and so Bardolph felt a familiar tension in his shoulders as he studied Orson Krennic.

“Well, Orson?”

“He’s right.” Orson stated flatly, eyes returning to his opponent. 

“He’s...right.”

“Yeah. I ‘jumped’ him.” Orson mimed the motion with his hands, indicating how he might have tackled the other student to the ground. “But he’s three years older. I figured he could handle it.”

“What?” The other student took a step back, offended and shocked at the prospect. “It is not my  _ fault _ that an unprovoked attack--”

“Unprovoked? Just like you were ‘unprovoked’? No one’s  _ paying _ you to say those things about Erso, you know, you’re just trying to--”

“Boys!” Bardolph strode between them, holding out both hands. “No one is provoking anyone! Everyone here is here to learn and study, and we don’t want hotheads running around interrupting that, do we? Do we?” His emphasis made both boys shake their heads, shuffling back again. “Lemm, go to the infirmary and have the nurses confirm your condition. And stay there until I get back to you!” A murmured assent sent Lemm walking quickly off, leaving Orson still standing before Bardolph with only a tinge of remorse still visible in his features. 

“Orson.” Bardolph sighed, rubbing his cheek with one hand. “We’ve talked about this.”

“That’s why I said, he’s right.”

“But Lemm isn’t like the others! I thought you were smarter than this! A few impulsive fights we would understand, and might even be admirable, but this...You may well work with him later, you’re still sharing classes. This isn’t  _ wise _ .” Fights happened more often than Bardolph liked, but he understood the impulse. Orson had been quick to take offense when he’d first arrived on Brentaal, and the rough living on Lexrul had conditioned him to run fast and hit hard. But he had improved, with time, and most of his instructors noted how Orson had developed into a charming and eloquent young man, even friendly with most of his cohort. The program was good for him. So a return to old form was disturbing.

“If I’m going to work with him, then he needs to understand what I won’t tolerate.” Orson replied darkly.

“You’re a  _ student _ , Orson.”

“I won’t always be a student! That’s the point of the program, right? Someday I’m going to be out there. Doing things. And I’m not going to let idiots like him ruin true genius.”

“Part of being in a team means giving people grace sometimes--”

“If he can’t give it to someone else, then he doesn’t deserve it back!” Orson balled his fists, breaths coming more rapidly as he stared up at Bardolph. The man paused, taking a deep breath of his own, and finally nodded.

“What did he say?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It made you assault him, Orson, it  _ does _ matter.”

“He--” Orson paused, fighting with himself for an extended moment. Bardolph kept his face expressionless, letting the boy make his decision, then nodded as Orson continued. “He was talking about Erso! Galen, you know, he’s--in the geology track. Same classes, sometimes, there’s overlap. But he kept going on and on about--they treat him like an idiot! Just because he’s a little spacey sometimes, they pretend he’s an idiot, but he’s not!”

“Orson--”

“He deserves better than this place! He is a genius, and they can’t even recognize the word, they--He’s smart, and talented, and if they’d talk to him for just a second they’d realize how outclassed they are!”

“Orson!” Bardolph interjected, snapping Orson from his rant. “It’s not your job to fight those battles.”

“Galen can’t do it himself!” Orson protested. “He’s been here even longer and he’s let them--they’ve gotten under his skin, convinced him that he’s too strange to be useful. They don’t even know! They don’t know what’s out there, waiting when they graduate!”

“Orson. Go to your quarters.” Bardolph nodded firmly, folding his arms. “It doesn’t matter how you justify it. I still need to present the consequence. Lemm’s going to have a black eye, probably, and you’ve both got cuts on your arms from the fall.”

“I didn’t even make him  _ bleed _ .”

“That’s not the point. This is not what we do here. I thought you’d learned that.” Bardolph nodded, reaching out to grab Orson’s upper arm. “I hope your schedule is clear: we’re going to spend a busy few days together.”

  
  



End file.
